Narrative:

I was requested by my supervisor abc wxx to dispatch aircraft xyz for a test flight. By the time it was ready to go, it was approximately XA30-XB00. After dispatching the aircraft from spot, it stopped short of the ramp east gate. The captain flashed me from the cockpit with his flashlight. I went back out to the plane and he asked me if the nose steering torsion link was hooked up. I grabbed both of the t-pins and shook the assembly, then replied back to the cockpit that it was attached. The plane proceeded to taxi away and as soon as it did, I felt something was wrong. I immediately went to my lead jxj YYY and told him we had to stop the aircraft and bring it back. He told me to talk to 'operations.' I then went immediately to byz xby who was in charge of operations and told him that there was something wrong with the steering torsion links and to bring the aircraft back to the ramp. He asked me 'what' was wrong and I said I didn't know but 'we need to bring the plane back.' he tried several times to raise the aircraft over the radio with no response. He asked again about the steering and said it must be hooked up or else they wouldn't be able to taxi away. I agreed that if the links were disconnected they wouldn't have steering. Byz then asked me again if I felt the plane should come back. I said 'yes, bring it at least back to ramp taxiway and I'll run out and check it.' he was still unable to raise the aircraft and started to reassure me that it must be connected or we would be hearing from them by now. A few mins later, I saw my supervisor abc wxx and told him about the aircraft and its steering. He took me out to the north hangar where there was another B767 aircraft and took me to the nose gear and asked 'did it look like this?' the torsion link was hooked up and obviously wasn't hanging down, so I agreed it must have been hooked up. When the aircraft landed from its test flight, it had no nosewheel steering. Xjx myy and myself went out to taxiway ramp and towed the aircraft back to the gate. When we arrived at the aircraft, the torsion link was laying down -- disconnected. I later talked to the radio electric technician who was on the aircraft and had requested the captain to have me check it in the first place. It apparently is 'common practice' for the radio electric technician to stick the torsion link up and 'behind the t-pins' to do their checks of the system. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter said the FAA investigated the incident but the company held a hearing with the findings of procedural violations. The reporter said no write-ups were made to restore the nose steering links to normal confign.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 WAS DISPATCHED ON A TEST FLT IN NON COMPLIANCE WITH THE NOSE GEAR STEERING TORSION LINKS DISCONNECTED.

Narrative: I WAS REQUESTED BY MY SUPVR ABC WXX TO DISPATCH ACFT XYZ FOR A TEST FLT. BY THE TIME IT WAS READY TO GO, IT WAS APPROX XA30-XB00. AFTER DISPATCHING THE ACFT FROM SPOT, IT STOPPED SHORT OF THE RAMP E GATE. THE CAPT FLASHED ME FROM THE COCKPIT WITH HIS FLASHLIGHT. I WENT BACK OUT TO THE PLANE AND HE ASKED ME IF THE NOSE STEERING TORSION LINK WAS HOOKED UP. I GRABBED BOTH OF THE T-PINS AND SHOOK THE ASSEMBLY, THEN REPLIED BACK TO THE COCKPIT THAT IT WAS ATTACHED. THE PLANE PROCEEDED TO TAXI AWAY AND AS SOON AS IT DID, I FELT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO MY LEAD JXJ YYY AND TOLD HIM WE HAD TO STOP THE ACFT AND BRING IT BACK. HE TOLD ME TO TALK TO 'OPS.' I THEN WENT IMMEDIATELY TO BYZ XBY WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF OPS AND TOLD HIM THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE STEERING TORSION LINKS AND TO BRING THE ACFT BACK TO THE RAMP. HE ASKED ME 'WHAT' WAS WRONG AND I SAID I DIDN'T KNOW BUT 'WE NEED TO BRING THE PLANE BACK.' HE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO RAISE THE ACFT OVER THE RADIO WITH NO RESPONSE. HE ASKED AGAIN ABOUT THE STEERING AND SAID IT MUST BE HOOKED UP OR ELSE THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO TAXI AWAY. I AGREED THAT IF THE LINKS WERE DISCONNECTED THEY WOULDN'T HAVE STEERING. BYZ THEN ASKED ME AGAIN IF I FELT THE PLANE SHOULD COME BACK. I SAID 'YES, BRING IT AT LEAST BACK TO RAMP TXWY AND I'LL RUN OUT AND CHK IT.' HE WAS STILL UNABLE TO RAISE THE ACFT AND STARTED TO REASSURE ME THAT IT MUST BE CONNECTED OR WE WOULD BE HEARING FROM THEM BY NOW. A FEW MINS LATER, I SAW MY SUPVR ABC WXX AND TOLD HIM ABOUT THE ACFT AND ITS STEERING. HE TOOK ME OUT TO THE N HANGAR WHERE THERE WAS ANOTHER B767 ACFT AND TOOK ME TO THE NOSE GEAR AND ASKED 'DID IT LOOK LIKE THIS?' THE TORSION LINK WAS HOOKED UP AND OBVIOUSLY WASN'T HANGING DOWN, SO I AGREED IT MUST HAVE BEEN HOOKED UP. WHEN THE ACFT LANDED FROM ITS TEST FLT, IT HAD NO NOSEWHEEL STEERING. XJX MYY AND MYSELF WENT OUT TO TXWY RAMP AND TOWED THE ACFT BACK TO THE GATE. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE ACFT, THE TORSION LINK WAS LAYING DOWN -- DISCONNECTED. I LATER TALKED TO THE RADIO ELECTRIC TECHNICIAN WHO WAS ON THE ACFT AND HAD REQUESTED THE CAPT TO HAVE ME CHK IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT APPARENTLY IS 'COMMON PRACTICE' FOR THE RADIO ELECTRIC TECHNICIAN TO STICK THE TORSION LINK UP AND 'BEHIND THE T-PINS' TO DO THEIR CHKS OF THE SYS. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THE FAA INVESTIGATED THE INCIDENT BUT THE COMPANY HELD A HEARING WITH THE FINDINGS OF PROCEDURAL VIOLATIONS. THE RPTR SAID NO WRITE-UPS WERE MADE TO RESTORE THE NOSE STEERING LINKS TO NORMAL CONFIGN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.